Monday 24^th. Feb.

Drove the short distance from Governor’s Bay to Lyttelton to pick up Lila for the trip to Aoraki/Mount Cook; a lovely sunny day drive once we had cleared the morning rush hour traffic going to Christchurch. Temperature started at 16˚C and rose to 22˚C.  Through the Canterbury Plains, which can be rather boring if you are not interested in Farming; the views are not expansive as you would imagine because of so many tall wind breaks. Mainly cattle and barley country on this route, and not so much irrigation so more parched grassland than lush Diary Cattle fields. As we turned inland a lot more rolling country with harvested grain fields: mainly barley I think. One large smoke plume which I hope was stubble and not a crop: fire risk can be very high in the rain shadow of the Southern Alps. Further on you come to the more hilly area of McKenzie Country; just like Scottish Lower Border Country, and obviously sheep country, but we didn’t see many: what we saw was vistas of parched grass and sparse gravel fields. 3 hours to Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki, both pure sky blue, and from the latter our first view of Mount Cook (for poor Linda & Gavin: yes it does exist, and you are young enough to back and see it yourselves). A further hour’s drive and the view just gets better as you drive in, but a very strong wind was building, and cloud was beginning to build by the time we arrived at Mount Cook Village. Had lunch with Lila in her Youth Hostel as too early to book into my motel, then met up with Martin & Mathias in their campervan, so the 4 Musketeers who first met on The Banks Peninsular Track were reunited. We immediately set off up the Hooker Valley towards Mount Cook. Well vegetated area on a newly refurbished gravel and duckboard walkway, between 3 large ravines bringing down grey milky meltwater from the Hooker Glacier; these crossed on giant suspension bridges.

 

Lila on Suspension (Swing) Bridge

 

 

Managed to get a photo of the top of Mount Cook during a fleeting partial clearance of the cloud before it closed in and started spitting with rain. Met 2 potential Mount Cook climbers turned back by the wind.

 

 

Mount Cook from the Hooker Valley

Very cool evening so fleeces needed, and had a lovely meal in the Old Mountaineers Bar with a lovely companion: Lila.